Published by: World Tibet Network News, Sunday, Jun 2, 1996

Submitted by: Carole Samdup, CTC Montreal

HABITAT REPORT #2

Istanbul, June 1, 1996: Official NGO Forum opening ceremonies were held today. The Tibet NGO Delegation (TND) including four Tibetans in national dress attended the event. The TND reported today that there has been increased attention from Chinese delegates who continue to visit the Tibet booth, asking questions and collecting information.

International delegates are still arriving with most government delegations now in Istanbul and preparing for tomorrow's start of the inter-governmental conference and its debate on the conference document, the Habitat Agenda.

The TND has prepared detailed interventions on the document and has circulated it to international NGOs, regional focal points and government delegations. However conference authorities, apparently concerned about possible objections from the Chinese, have disguised TND language under the name of other NGOs. While this is disturbing in terms of fair NGO participation procedure, the TND is pleased that our wording has been included in its entirety in a document which is being widely distributed by the United Nations to NGOs and government delegations alike.

The TND views the Habitat Agenda as a step backward with regard to the recognition and protection of the rights of people living under foreign occupation. The TND document interventions centre therefore on the following issues:

1. The Rights of Indigenous People living under foreign occupation, alien domination and armed conflict, and indigenous and tribal peoples:

Previous UN Conferences have recognized the vulnerability of these groups, however the current Habitat Agenda does not carry forward the recognition of these groups' vulnerability and the gains achieved at the previous UN Conferences.

2. Protection from policies and practices aimed at destroying cultural identity:

The Habitat Agenda needs to provide protection from construction of alien settlements, land confiscation, forced evictions, population transfer, house demolitions, lack of local participation in urban planning processes, restriction of building permits based on ethnicity, destruction of traditional architecture and historic monuments, the selective provision of public services and the perpetuation of housing insecurities which are all commonly experienced by indigenous and people living under foreign occumpation.

3. Preservation of culture through housing and historic monuments:

Housing design and living space is a vital expression of culture. The right of peoples to their culture is a right which should be more strongly addressed in the conference document. As alien populations settle in traditional lands, historic monuments and traditional architecture are razed to the ground and replaced with alien designs which do not take into account the holistic traditional practices of the indigenous population.

4. Sustainable Development:

Much of the document language concerning sustainable development and environmental protection is currently in brackets. The Habitat Agenda should support the use of traditional, cultural and indigenous methodologies which include environmental, economic and social aspects in human settlement development.